All Hail the Queen
by CrueFan21
Summary: Being the Queen of Arendelle wasn't easy. Anna was learning that pretty quickly. But advice from Elsa might make the world of difference. A sisterly oneshot.


All Hail the Queen

* * *

Since becoming Queen of Arendelle, Anna learned that there were a ton of responsibilities that went with the title. Although she was taking to the position well, there was still a lot that she hadn't gotten the hang of yet. For instance, due to her kind and friendly nature, Anna sometimes had trouble being assertive. This came as a problem, because a lot of councilmen and dignitaries tried to take advantage of her. Anna often didn't see this, but one when Kristoff pointed it out to her one day, she knew that she couldn't deny it any longer. She needed to toughen up.

So, came with a council meeting one afternoon. They were discussing about rebuilding the bridge in the town square, which had greatly deteriorated over the years. It was Anna who proposed the idea. Back when Elsa was queen, she used to go over the bridge almost every day. The last time she crossed, she noticed that the stones had worn out, and could use some replacing. The council however, seemed to take a disagreement to her idea.

"That bridge has been there for centuries. There's no point in rebuilding it," Councilman William said.

"I understand, but think of the safety hazard it could present if we don't do anything," Anna pointed out.

"It's made of stone! How could it present a hazard to anyone?" Councilman Charles added.

"It could collapse while people are crossing. They could get seriously injured," Anna argued.

"With all due respect, Your Majesty, I don't think this is worth the time and funds," Councilman William said. He was the most outspoken councilman. Elsa had told Anna dozens of stories about him.

"Look, the well-being of our people should be our utmost concern," Anna asserted. "Imagine if one of your families got hurt, how would you feel?"

"I'm sorry Queen Anna, but we just don't believe that we should invest all our money into rebuilding something that's already built."

Anna began to open her mouth to argue, but it was no use. There was no convincing these men.

* * *

Later that evening, Elsa paid them all a visit from the Enchanted Forest. Since restoring harmony throughout the lands, Elsa made regular trips to Arendelle to spend time with her family. When she arrived, she was eager to hear about how Anna's role as queen was going.

"It's even harder than I thought," Anna confessed. The two sisters were taking a walk through the grounds together. It was something they loved to do whenever Elsa came to visit.

"That's an understatement, but I'm sure you're doing great," Elsa said.

"I don't know about that. These councilmen are like talking to a brick wall. I can't convince them to do anything," Anna said.

"What do you mean? You're the queen. Surely, that can't be a problem," Elsa said.

"Well, Kristoff says that I'm not as assertive as I should be," Anna confessed.

"Ah! That's it. Yeah, I had that problem in the beginning too," Elsa revealed.

"You did? How?"

"Anna, I'm a pretty shy and timid person. Sure, I've grown more confident in myself in the past few years, but that insecure nature was with me for a long time."

"How did you deal with it?"

"I learned that I had to take charge. I couldn't let anyone push me around. As I've said before, I've always done what's best for Arendelle. With that philosophy in mind, I made it clear to those I worked with, that I was the one who made the decisions. I happily listened to whatever they had to say, and sometimes their opinions persuaded me to think otherwise, but most of the time, I was my own woman. I let the councilmen know that as ruler of Arendelle, the well-being of our people was of the utmost importance."

"So, in order to be more assertive, I have to let them know that the reason I make my decisions is not only for the people of Arendelle, but for them as well?"

"Exactly! I know it can be tough sometimes. You want everybody to agree with you, but that won't always happen. You just have to do what you think is best, and that's all that matters."

"Thank you, Elsa. I knew I could count on you for advice."

"Haha! It's funny you should say that, since you're usually the one giving me advice."

"Haha! Well, I guess I influenced you," Anna pointed out.

"That's true. Plus, great minds think alike," Elsa said.

"Very true."

* * *

The next day, the council resumed their meeting. The men were ready to discuss the next topic at hand, but remembering Elsa's advice, Anna was more assertive this time around. She again brought up rebuilding the bridge and was met with hostile opposition.

"Your Majesty, can we please move onto other topics? We've already discussed this," Councilman William said.

"No, Councilman William, we cannot. This is an important matter that involves everyone in Arendelle. People cross that bridge every day. At the current condition that it's in, it's in no state for people continue using it. If, God Forbid, it collapsed, and someone got hurt I would never forgive myself. I believe we should make plans to start rebuilding at once. We'll close off the bridge in the meantime…

"This is preposterous! We don't need to waste the kingdom's time and money repairing a bridge! It's not practical!" Councilman William cried.

Anna took a deep breath, narrowed her eyes onto the councilman. It was time to show him that she meant business.

"Councilman William, I understand that you believe that the kingdom should use it's time and money for other things, and that's fine, but I will not tolerate disrespect like this. I am your Queen; therefore, I deserve to be treated as such. The safety of my people, including you, is the most important thing to me. If you don't agree with this, then you can kindly leave the council."

Everyone in the room was stunned by Anna's change in demeanor. She was usually so bubbly and optimistic, but now she was stern and uncompromising. Councilman William himself was shocked by the change. So much so, that he immediately changed his own tone.

"My apologies, Your Majesty. You're correct. The safety of our people is very important. We should begin rebuilding the bridge at once like you said."

Anna smiled. She was pleased to see that he had come to his senses.

"Thank you, Councilman William. I'm glad that you see the importance of the matter. Now, I'll secure the appropriate funds necessary to remodel the bridge. In the meantime, please inform the engineers of our decision."

Meanwhile, Elsa watched from a door that was slightly ajar. The former Queen of Arendelle couldn't help but smile brightly. Her sister never ceased to amaze her.


End file.
